Bring Me the Head of Sapphon Delayer

 

CW: femicide

The capital is abuzz - rumour says that the poet Sapphon Delayer has murdered his wife, the poet Tinter Briar, in a drunken argument over royalties. 

Sapphon has been heard admitting the deed with his mercenary companions, but publicly he denies it, and claims that his wife has abandoned the capital with one of her lovers. Tinter herself is nowhere to be found. 

The great poetess' friends and allies understand the truth of the situation: that Sapphon is too well ensconced in the military and political machinery of the capital to be vulnerable to the investigations of the Baronial Agents. While proof of murder remains illusive he is legally untouchable, and knows it. 

Tinter's publisher, Elder Wass, has collected 2000 silver pieces from those who loved her, and put the word out among the poets, artists, and bravos of the city. The lucre will go to the one who can: 

BRING ME THE HEAD OF SAPPHON DELAYER

Sapphon and Tinter lived together just outside the capital, in an aging and decrepit stone house gifted to them on their wedding night by a wealthy patron. The house is well known to the delinquents and aesthetes of the capital; the parties, readings, and shows thrown here were the stuff of minor legend. It is no fortress, and the ancient stone walls will not seriously inhibit any attempt to gain access to the grounds.

It is around 10pm, and Elder Wass' proclamation was made this very evening. In addition to the PCs, the following groups are making an attempt on Sapphon's life, and angling to get that head:

1. Euron and Phelter 
2. Bliss
3. The Telamont Girls
4. Fia's Party

One of these groups, determined randomly, will be already present when you arrive, squatting behind the stone wall at the back of the property, and whisper-arguing (unless it's Bliss, who will be here alone) about how best to handle the assault. 

Each d10+15 minutes after game start, another group will arrive at random, until all are present at the house, searching for the Sapphon and trying to take his head. Their temperaments and gear can be found in the Dramatis Personae section. 

The House

The house is two stories tall, and has thick stone walls, glass windows, and wooden doors. All doors and windows are unlocked. 

The front garden is long grass and brambles - out the back are tilled vegetable patches, two old fruit trees, and a freshly dug grave. You won't be able to excavate it without being heard by the inhabitants of the house. The whole property is surrounded by a low stone wall about 4ft high, with two wooden gates in it - one at the front, and one at the back. The front gate is watched at all times by Balder the sharpshooter, who is currently posted up on the roof with his musket in the darkness. If he spots you approaching, the sharp-eyed will mark the glow of his slow match as he takes aim. 

Inside are the rest of Sapphon's mercenary friends, who he has called to his side as protection until the 'little drama' blows over. The mercenaries are detailed in the Monsters section. From the outside you can see black silhouettes moving within - if you fire on or otherwise attack one, randomise its target from those available.

The layout of the house is as follows:

The House, 5ft squares. Ground floor on the right, upstairs on the left. Click to make it bigger!

Rooms:

1. Reception/Main Room. Large windows to the north and south, and well stocked bookshelves installed around the walls. Poetry from all over the world, but also novels, plays, technical books, and religious literature. A large wooden table in the centre of the room, with six comfortable chairs. 5 Baronial Mercenaries and 3 Arditi are sitting or standing around the table, drunk, gambling with dice, and counting and recounting a small pile of coins: 314 silver - the royalties from Sapphon and Tinter's collection.
2. Study. A beautiful desk and plush chair, installed beneath a large bay window. Inside the desk, good quality paper, ink, quills, and an expensive steel pen imported from the White City - worth 35s, and useable as a -1 light weapon if you want. The desk is sticky with blood - this is where the mercs killed Sapphon this morning. 
3. Cots. Barracks-style cot bedding along the walls, enough to sleep eight. Large windows to the east and south. The furniture is well-made, but spartan. This is where their guests slept when the guest room was filled. Four Mercenaries lie on their backs, trying to catch up on some sleep before they all leave tonight - out of armour, but with their weapons close to hand. 
4. Kitchen. A large iron stove, wooden surfaces and boards, several well-used knives, a small pile of timber for the burner. A pot of oil, a jar of salt, a small glass bottle of expensive imported red wine. Two Arditi in here, smoking amphetamines and cooking up some fry-meat on the stove, arguing about what to add once it's finished. 
5. Greenhouse. Large room with a glass ceiling, full of plants in terracotta pots. Not many of them are useful or edible, they appear to be mostly ornamental flowers. Two Mercenaries in here, high and giggling and making out with one another, blissfully unaware of the world around them. 
6. Dry Store. Large sacks of grain, hanging cured meat, spices, dried fruit, oil, salt, spirits. About 35 rations in here, none of which will spoil. Otherwise empty. 
7. Landing. A large and mostly empty room with glorious floor to ceiling windows, and paintings on the walls. The poets had many artist friends in the city, and some of this collection might be worth something. There are sixteen paintings, and each is worth 10xd4! silver if you spend a day in the city finding a buyer. You have to spend the day before you get to roll on the price. Alternatively, Phelter could accurately appraise them for you right here. 
8. Guest Room. A large double bed, a night stand, a wardrobe (empty). Officer Senet sits on the bed, unnaturally still, watching the window. 
9. Bedroom. A smaller double bed, a night stand with some chap books on it, a wardrobe that contains 8 jackets and various other nondescript bits of clothing. The bed is absolutely sodden with blood, and the smell is overpowering. This is where Tinter was killed. The empty pistol is still on the bed. A Mercenary sits slumped down with her back to the wall and her head in her hands - a single Arditi lies beneath the saturated bedframe, becoming slowly covered in gore. All physical damage in this room also deals equivalent psychic damage. 

Monsters

The Mercenaries

Old war buddies from Sapphon's days as a soldier. He left at a young age, but his friends went career - none of them really like or respect him much any more. They are from several different companies, and in the capital for their own various reasons. Impassive, violent, and calculating men and women, heavily armed, professionally armoured, and completely used to killing other people over nothing at all. 

The mercenaries inside the house are expecting an attack, and will have their armour on and weapons to hand unless specified. 

Baronial Mercenary

Humans with HD1+1, medium warhammer and shield or heavy sword, light dagger, 50/50 heavy and plate armour, 1 in 3 carrying a pistol or musket. Disposition: good morale and hard to spook or intimidate, but not willing to die for the coin in the house. 

Arditi

Professional light infantry, often used as terror troops and infiltrators. HD2, medium fighting knife and buckler, light armour, 50/50 pistols or a single firebomb. Arditi carry climbing ropes and hooks with them, and are famously good climbers. They also carry stimulants for use in the field. Disposition: aggressive, vain, and dashing fighters - still not willing to die, but very easy to provoke. 

Balder the Sharpshooter

An unarmoured Arditi fighter armed with a musket, a medium knife, and climbing gear. A very good shot - rolls with +1 to hit. 

Officer Senet 

Senet is a large, lean Baronial of indeterminate gender, dressed in expensive plate and wearing a full face of professionally applied cosmetics. Senet is completely hairless, including eyelashes and brows. Their teeth have been replaced with sharp crystal dentures.

HD4, bite as light, or as heavy in a grapple (this attack can be made freely in a grapple), plate armour. Disposition: calculating and ruthless. Thinks of people in terms of use value. 

Dramatis Personae

Euron and Phelter

Euron and Phelter are old friends of Sapphon and Tinter's. They can't quite being themselves to believe what's happened, and have come to confront Sapphon and learn the truth. If he confesses the murder to them, or can't give satisfactory explanations, they will kill him and claim the bounty. Neither is expecting a hostile reception from the mercenaries - this is all just a big misunderstanding. 

Euron has HD1, carries a medium hangar sword, is unarmoured, and shares his body with an entity he has has never revealed the name of. The nameless entity can blind everyone that it can see through his eyes, for as long as he can see them.

Phelter has HD3, carries a medium cane sword and pistol, and wears medium armour. She deals an additional 2d8 from ambush. 

Bliss

A poet of some standing in the city, and one of Tinter's best and most trusted friends. Bliss has a strange, wrinkled, bestial face, enormous strength, and beast-like fangs and claws - she is a beast, or fast becoming one, which is very strange because she has never been a soldier as far as anyone knows. She writes poems with a famously detached and precise style, and is well respected in capital society. She is here for revenge, which to her means hurting Sapphon before she kills and eats him, and doesn't care at all about the head or the money attached.

HD4, claws as light weapons, bite as heavy weapon. Light armour worn beneath expensive, fashionable clothing. Roars when she kills something, which forces a morale check on enemies in combat. Has 1DR against weapon attacks. 

The Telamont Girls

Fangirl bravos, here to do a good deed and make a bit of money in the process. The Telamont Girls are an affiliate branch of the 52 Girls, and not well established. They study literature at the university. All five of them are here: Tenna, Burr, Belit, Sisoon, and Poulindred. They are clever and capable fighters, but seriously out of their depth against the mercenaries. Bicker constantly with one another, and are genuinely courageous and heroic.  

HD1, light cross knives and medium steel clubs, light armour, harlequin half-capes, white ape masks. Skilled in acrobatics, stealth, and climbing. Disposition: somewhere between The Warriors and the Scooby Gang. Will freak out if comrades start dying. 

Fia's Party

Fia is a professional, and will approach the problem of getting the head without sentimentality or over-complication. She and her crew will set fire to the house, and shoot whoever comes out - if they can, they will block the doors from the outside before they do so. They have bought oil and guns for the purpose. They do this sort of thing a lot. 

Fia has 3HD, a heavy spear, a musket, and heavy armour. She is also carrying 2 petrol bombs. 

She is accompanied by 8 bandits with medium spears and medium armour. Four have muskets, and the other four have a single petrol bomb each.  

The Truth

Sapphon really did kill Tinter over the royalties. He always considered his writing superior to hers, and convinced himself over several bitter weeks that he was the sole reason that their collection sold at all. When Tinter laughed at this he shot her dead. 

In the days that followed he became panicked, remorseful, and delusional (he maintained that she had made him do it), and gathered the mercenaries for both protection and emotional validation. After a few days of putting up with him they cut his throat and buried him with Tinter in the back garden. That was this morning. Now they are getting ready to strip the house of valuables, including the (meagre, as it turns out) royalty payment, and leave for the southern petty kingdoms later in the night. They don't know about the bounty on the head, but fear the vengeance of Sapphon's many enemies. 

This post is courtesy of beloved Xeno's 'Baronial Poets' prompt.